Award Data

The applicant will develop a wave energy harvesting system for NOAA buoys. It will ve entirely self-contained (no protruding elements), modular, scalable, and easily deployed. The system employs a unique, inertial mechanism that responds to acceleration forces created by waves. This mechanism will be combined with (1) a proprietary generator that is sensitive to very low levels of torque and ha ...

Farmers in the USA have largely depended on the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, for crop pollination. In recent years, Varroa mites, Tracheal mites, Nosema, Viruses and Colony Collapse Disorder have reduced the availability of honey bee colonies. This has created a critical need for additional managed pollinators. Mason bees, leaf cutter bees and bumble bees are being managed to varying extent ...

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project is focused on the development of a chemical treatment for bast natural fibers called "In-Situ Polymeric Coating (IPC)". An IPC coating will enable kenaf, flax, jute and/or other bast natural fibers to replace fiberglass in thermoset structural composites. This concept involves an approach to A) solve the well known moisture absorption ...

The company estimates that if this new tank capability can be developed it has the potential to replace older helicopter tank systems and become the industry standard, included in mandated specifications for helicopter tanks by the USFS. The company estimates that new product sales of the resulting product could be in excess of twenty million dollars over the next five years This project will serv ...

Tuna are among the most highly valued fish worldwide. Due to this value and high demand, tuna are being fished beyond sustainable levels in many parts of the world. Replacing or supplementing wild catch with hatchery raised tuna makes sense, but this is technically difficult with current technology. Hatchery efforts since the 1970s have made progress in capture and spawning of tuna to provide eggs ...

Mandates for biofuels have resulted in the significant increase of biodiesel production in rural communities. Hawaii's Jatropha biodiesel production will produce nearly 650-700 kg of residues, consisting of Jatropha seedcake and fruit hulls for every metric ton of seeds harvested for oil production. In addition, the biodiesel conversion process will produce another 30-50 kg of crude glycerin, ...

Vapors produced during the process of refueling cars are a significant source of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emissions. Uncontrolled emissions cause economic losses and pollute the environment. This problem is exacerbated when the gasoline contains bioethanol because its presence increases the vapor pressure and volatility of the fuel. These increased fuel emissions from ethanol-gasoline ble ...

Coal-fired electric power generating plants are under increasing pressure to reduce CO2 and other toxic emissions. However, using alternative fuels, such as solid biomass as a greenhouse gas neutral fuel, requires substantial plant modifications. In addition, burning biomass contributes to slagging and fouling of the plants' furnaces. Soil mixed in with the forest waste is the primary cause. ...

It is currently time consuming and expensive to install water quality monitoring stations to report data on water quality to researchers and monitoring agencies quickly and efficiently. In this project, we will develop the technology to improve the gathering and reporting of such data. The end product after commercialization of the results of this project will be a novel system that provides real- ...

Apple snail, (Pomacea canaliculata), a highly invasive pest affecting wetland crops in 18 countries including the U.S., is listed as one of the 100 Worst Global Invaders. One study showed that due to its voracious appetite, present value damage from the snail could cost Philippine rice production as much as 2.3 billion dollars annually. In Hawai`i, the apple snail invasion has reduced taro harvest ...